LIFESTYLE
Hyderabadi Hindi, much loved by filmmakers for its unique cadence, is often caricatured and held up for ridicule. Yogesh Pawar discusses representation of the dialect in Hindi cinema and why purists and 'Dakhni' speakers are not amused
Ek amma apne potte ku 20 saal tak meeththa pedaa banati, lekin ek potti usku 20 minute mein kaisa yedaa banati, kuch aiseech hai yeh picture," Arif Ansari, an autorickshaw driver from Mumbai's Jogeshwari suburb, was telling his friend on phone soon after watching Daawat-e-Ishq. The crowd around him couldn't help laughing at not only his take on the Aditya Roy Kapur-Parineeti Chopra starrer, but the Hyderabadi Hindi it was being delivered in.
This migrant from Guntur seemed to be the only one who didn't approve of Parineeti's attempts at speaking his mother tongue in the film. "Unko koi bolne ko hona ki agli baar nakkoch baat karro tum hamari zabaan mein," said the 31-year-old.
He was at pains to explain why he wasn't amused with attempts to provide laughs at the cost of his dialect (also called Dakhni), the spoken tongue in a large swathe of southeastern India which once formed the Nizamshahi (all of Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Raichur and Gulbarga in Karnataka and Marathwada in Maharashtra).
Filmmaker and scriptwriter Habib Faisal says his attempt to use the language was only guided by the story. "In Daawat-e-Ishq, I've set a part of the story in Hyderabad, so I needed the characters to sound Hyderabadi when the film is in that region. Apart from the food and ambience, the language was a very big part of bringing in the Hyderabadi flavour," says the man who has scripted Salam Namaste, Ta Ra Rum Pum and Jhoom Barabar Jhoom in the past.
Of course, Daawat-e-Ishq is not the first or only film to use Hyderabadi Hindi. Bobby Jasoos and The Dirty Picture are two recent films that used the dialect.
Cultural and film historian Mukul Joshi recalls the era when comedian Mehmood used the tongue to reprise some of his most memorable acts. "His mastery of the finer nuances of the language meant that whether it was his butler in Gumnaam, or the cyclerickshaw driver in Kunwara Baap, his character always hit bull's eye with the audience."
"It was so successful that even Amitabh Bachchan borrowed a leaf from Mehmood's style book for a fun song in Desh Premee. Bachchan's Hyderabadi getup right down to the striped lungi, colourful chaddi and moustache as he stalks Hema Malini's character singing 'Khaatoon ki khidmat mein salaam apun kaa/ajee potti pataanaa hai faqat kaam apun kaa' was clearly inspired from Mehmood's dance in Gumnaam for 'Hum kaale hain to kya hua dilwaale hain'."
According to Joshi, Shyam Benegal is amongst the rare filmmakers who used the language without reducing it to a caricature. "But that's because many of his earlier films like Nishant, Ankur and Mandi were set in regions where this is the language of communication," he says.
"Shyam Babu was born and raised in Trimulgherry, Secunderabad and even pursued his college at Osmania University, which must definitely help in him being able to use the language he grew up listening to, intelligently."
Naseeruddin Shah, one of India's brightest acting talents who in many ways is a Benegal find, remembers how he grappled with the language in the beginning. "Luckily, we had Shabana (Azmi) around. Her mother Shaukat aapaa is from Hyderabad and speaks the language fluently, and Shabana's picked it up quite well. So she'd become the go-to person for any issues with how to say a certain line, especially in films like Mandi." He smiles, remembering his character Tungrus who even breaks into Sufi songs when drunk.
It is this Sufi side of the language that Ratan Kumar Pandey, senior professor at the Hindi department, University of Mumbai, alludes to when discussing "Bollywood's attempts at pulling down one of the most glorious examples of syncreticism both in terms of religion and region".
"Bollywood uses everything including Hindi to make its money without doing anything for the languages. Look at the promotional interviews. Each tries to outdo the other with an American drawl as they answer even Hindi questions in English," he said. According to him, such socio-cultural xenophobes of the glamour industry do Hyderabadi Hindi a lot of damage.
Pandey refers to Amir Khusro's Urdu travelling south and encountering Telugu in the Godavari delta. "It is exciting to think of how these languages which had little to do with each other borrowed so much from one another to create Dakshini or Dakhni which became the language of both the Nizam's court and the people of the kingdom." He explains how the noun and verb often get fused to create words which defy all known parts of speech. "These further get suffixed with 'ch' giving them a distinct sound and feel."
He hopes efforts are made to honour a language which survived the Dutch, French and British, and give it its deserved place.
This would've come as music to Arif's ears who would've definitely called for a double ka meetha to celebrate.
Meet Gautam Adani’s daughter-in-law Paridhi Adani: Know about her assets, career, family, and more
Why has Premanand Maharaj stopped his morning yatras at 2 am?
Sonu Sood BREAKS SILENCE on arrest warrant against him in fraud case: 'It is sad that celebs...'
Meet Alexis Wilkins, Trump's FBI chief pick Kash Patel's 'mystery girlfriend,' her profession is...
Fire breaks out at Mahakumbh Nagar camp, officials say no casualties reported so far
Who is Mohini Mohan Datta, mystery man set to get Rs 500 crore through Ratan Tata's will?
Cristiano Ronaldo makes shocking statement, breaks Portugal's hearts: 'I never thought about...'
Ludhiana court issues arrest warrant against Sonu Sood in fraud case
Happy Rose Day 2025: Significance of different coloured roses on Day 1 of Valentine's week
Salman Khan REVEALS why he avoids eating beef and pork: 'Main maanta hu meri maa...'
Shah Rukh Khan-Saif Ali Khan vs Aryan Khan-Ibrahim Khan: Who should be in KHNH2!
Why Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu gifted Donald Trump golden pager? It is a reference to...
Mob in Bangladesh destroys ousted PM Sheikh Hasina's family home
ISRO's EOS-06 satellite captures Phytoplankton concentration on global scale
IND vs ENG: Will Virat Kohli play in 2nd ODI vs England? Shubman Gill provides huge injury update
Who is Kiran Chaudhury? PCS officer caught in bribe case, just 4 years after posting
Jeet Adani-Diva Shah's wedding today: Know venue, gifts for guests and more
Meet woman, who works in Rs 163000 crore company, daughter of Hyderabad’s richest man
This is world's greenest railway station, 170 years old, home to over 7,000 plants, it's in....
As Sky Force nears Rs 150 crore, Nimrat Kaur treats househelp, her kids with movie screening
IND vs ENG: Shreyas Iyer creates history, becomes first player to achieve THIS massive milestone
Meet man, India's richest banker, who has bought Rs 202 crore property, his net worth is Rs...
'Heard there was....': Former India head coach provides major update on Virat Kohli's injury
A New Geopolitical Era: India and Israel's Role in the Evolving Middle East
David Warner’s touching moment with fans after Dubai Capitals reaches final of DP World ILT20
India’s Largest Book Stall Network: PrashantAdvait Foundation’s Mission to Revive Reading Culture
Mawra Hocane stuns in pastel mint green lehenga at her wedding to Ameer Gilani
Deepinder Goyal's Zomato changes its name, CEO shares journey of company, it is now called...
Rose Day 2025: Know the date, history, significance of each rose colour ahead of Valentine's day
'BJP-led NDA works for Santushtikaran, not Tushtikaran': PM Modi in Rajya Sabha
Who is Belle Gibson? Australian wellness guru created fake cancer story and later...
DP World ILT20 2025: Dubai Capitals clinch last ball thriller against Desert Vipers to reach final
Jeet Adani-Diva Shah wedding: First pic from Gautam Adani's mansion OUT as wedding festivities begin
Sunita Williams’ Spacewalk: A Record-Breaking Mission and a Stunning Selfie from Space
IND vs ENG: Ravindra Jadeja creates history in Nagpur, surpasses James Anderson to become....
Can IAS officers change cadres after marriage? Here's what rules say
Pavan Kumar Joshi innovates unemployment benefits payment security
Anil Ambani's company's share price surges over 6 per cent after it earns profit of Rs...
Why Dale Bhagwagar is Bollywood's only PR guru
Meet Anjum Khan, wife of cricket star Shivam Dube, her net worth is Rs...
IAF Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft crashes in MP's Shivpuri during training sortie
Meet IAS Tina Dabi's mother, who cleared UPSC to become IES, later resigned due to...
Good news for Infosys employees! Company to roll out annual hike letters by end of...
BIG win for India's largest govt bank, earns Rs 16891 crore profit in just...
Ajith Kumar's fans celebrate, throng theatres after Vidaamuyarchi's worldwide release: Watch
Purnam’s Spring Edit: Where heritage meets handcrafted luxury
RTPS Bihar: Apply for income, caste, and domicile certificates